LAKE FOREST, Ill — Luther Burden III was the topic of conversation Thursday at Halas Hall for the Chicago Bears’ first organized team activities open to media.
Well, to everyone besides Burden.
Coach Ben Johnson delivered the quote of the afternoon when asked about the wide receiver’s Year 2 outlook.
“I’m buying Luther Burden stock right now,” Johnson said. “Just how he’s approached his offseason, it’s been electric.”
Running back D’Andre Swift nodded in agreement when he heard about his coach’s remarks.
“Yeah, he better,” Swift said. “Got a young man that’s hungry, that knows his ability, is confident.”
So, what has Burden done to catch the attention of his second-year head coach?
“Nothing,” Burden said, plainly. “I just come to work every day and do my job to the best of my ability. And I’ll leave the rest to everybody else.”
For all the hype around his improvement — albeit three months out from the regular season — Burden kept things matter-of-fact after practice. The 2025 second-round pick out of Missouri showed a steady rise in his rookie season that built to a crescendo in the final two months. Burden recorded more than half of his 752 scrimmage yards in the final six games of the season (399). In a down-to-the-wire December loss to the San Francisco 49ers, he hit a career-high 138 yards with a touchdown.
“When we drafted him, we saw an explosive athlete who was really dangerous with the ball in his hands. The question was how can we get it in his hands?” Johnson said. “The easy things to do are screens or short throws, but I think there’s a lot more to his game that we’ve worked on. He’s been really receptive to how we can get that done. He ran a route (Wednesday). It was the first time he had run that route, and he ran it as well as I’ve been around, so things like that really get you excited as a coach.”
This offseason, Burden said he’s been in the gym, focusing on getting bigger, faster and stronger. He’d become more familiar with the playbook, aided by a full year working with Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams.
“Less thinking, more playing, more explosive plays, more excitement,” Burden said. “That’s what I’m bringing.”
But, of course, there is one major difference for the Bears’ receiver plans in 2026. The team traded veteran DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills in March. Moore led all receivers in catches (50) and yards (682) last season, but both marks were career lows for Moore.
To fill the gap, the Bears are looking inward to third-year receiver Rome Odunze, second-year receivers Burden and Jahdae Walker, and rookie third-round pick Zavion Thomas. Still, the lessons from Moore will be felt by the young core. Burden said Moore taught him “how to be a pro.”
“He was probably the first guy in here every morning I came in, and that was about 6:30, 7 a.m.,” Burden said. “So, just seeing how he takes care of his body, how he prepares himself for practice, games, stuff like that. And just picking his brain. It was great.”
The promising end to Burden’s rookie season already set expectations high for Year 2, and with Moore gone, Burden said there’s an opening for someone else in the room to step up, both as a leader and a player. Swift said he caught on early to Burden’s “hunger” to exceed.
“I sensed it last year, when he first walked in the building,” Swift said. “Once you meet him and talk to him and see his style of play, what you see is what you get, and that’s who he is every single day.”
Johnson praised Burden’s coachability and said the 22-year-old is “playing at a different speed right now.” It’s the type of speed that’s been there — Burden ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine — but it’s just starting to translate to live-game action.
“He looks like what we saw coming out of college, and obviously, now, there’s no hesitation,” receivers coach Antwaan Randle El said last week. “And the other thing is just getting off the ball and running, like full speed, no hesitation, and that’s showing up because he knows the offense. He has more confidence than he’s had before. He’s catching it, he’s finishing down the field, and those things translate over to the game.”
Burden echoed his coaches; he’s not thinking as much, and it’s paying off.
“Oh, yeah, I’m playing way faster, less thinking, just going out there trying to make plays,” Burden said. “It helps a lot because if you think of what you got to do, you can’t even focus on what the defense is in. … So if you already know what you got to do, I feel you could have a better plan of how to attack the defense.”
It could all line up for a Year 2 breakout for Burden, perfectly timed with a Bears team coming off its first playoff appearance in five years and its first postseason win in 15 years.
To take the spotlight off him, Burden was asked: What’s the best part about playing for Johnson? As expected, his answer was simple.
“Winning,” he said. “Good, better, best, baby.”
